blood libel

American  

noun

1. the false accusation that Jews murder Christian children to use their blood in religious rituals.

   blood libels that spread throughout Europe in the Middle Ages.

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Etymology

Origin of blood libel

First recorded in 1910–15

Example Sentences

She was accused of spreading a modern-day blood libel, a term historically used to describe false and antisemitic accusations.

From The Wall Street Journal

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz accused her of spreading a blood libel while other lawmakers in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling coalition called her a traitor, an enemy and the head of a criminal organization.

From The Wall Street Journal

Israel has accused the case of having antisemitic motivations, calling it a "blood libel", in reference to historic allegations that Jewish communities ritually murder Christian children.

From BBC

False allegations of child abuse date back to the blood libel of the Middle Ages and the assertion that Jews tortured and murdered Christian children as part of their ceremonial worship.

From Los Angeles Times

The blood libel is a notorious antisemitic trope that goes back to medieval Europe, falsely accusing Jews of killing Christians, especially children, to use their blood in religious rituals.

From BBC